Eddie Murphy isn't the funniest person in Christmas comedy 'Candy Cane Lane'

Remember when Eddie Murphy ruled comedy?

I know, I know — pull up a chair and let me grab my ear horn and I’ll finish with my geezer story. Murphy shot to fame on “Saturday Night Live” and starred in great movies like “48 Hours” and “Trading Places” and good movies like “Beverly Hills Cop” and was the most-exciting stand-up comic since Richard Pryor.

Now, Murphy makes movies like director Reginald Hudlin's “Candy Cane Lane,” a more-decent-than-you'd-think Prime Video holiday family film. The point is, Murphy used to be the funniest person on the planet. Now, he’s not even the funniest person in the movie.

In fairness, he’s not trying to be. But still.

(Also in fairness: Murphy occasionally pulls out an “old guy’s still got it” performance, like in “Dolemite Is My Name” in 2019. But not often.)

Eddie Murphy is mostly the straight man

Murphy plays the straight man for much of “Candy Cane Lane.” He stars as Chris Carver, a husband and father who loves Christmas, even though, despite his best efforts, he can’t win the annual holiday-decorations contest on his block. His wife, Carol (Tracee Ellis Ross), puts up with him, as do his children, Joy (Genneya Walton), Nick (Thaddeus J. Mixson) and Holly (Madison Thomas).

This year, the contest is different, however — thanks to a sponsor, the winner receives $100,000. Chris can use it, as he just got laid off, though Carol is in line for a promotion, if only the Big Important Presentation goes off as planned. (Guess what.)

Desperate to win, Chris notices a pop-up Christmas shop, run by the acidly funny Pepper (Jillian Bell, always funny). “What’s Christmas without a little terror?” she says after surprising Chris and Holly. She sells Chris an unusual Christmas tree decorated with all of the characters from “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” for which he signs an unusually long receipt. So silly, these things, Pepper says. They make you sign your life away.

The tree is a big hit and makes the Carter family the front-runners to win the contest. But the next day the ornaments are gone — and seemingly have come to life, roaming around town causing trouble. When he goes back to the store to confront Pepper, he learns that there are no refunds — and that Pepper is a disgruntled elf. He will have to round up all of the now-alive ornaments himself. Or the consequences will be dire.

Meanwhile, Holly notices that the ornaments for a Dickens-themed display are, in fact, alive.

That’s where the comedy is.

Pip (Nick Offerman), Cordelia (Robin There) and Lamplighter Gary (Chris Redd) were all tricked by Pepper, and now they’re doomed to live in the Christmas display. The rest of the movie involves Chris and his family trying to gather enough gold rings so that he might avoid this fate, learning to accept help from his family, whatever. That part is Hallmark-level treacle.

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Jillian Bell and the supporting cast carry the film

But everything that comes out of the mouth of Redd’s Gary is comedy gold. He’s hilarious, constantly hitting on Cordelia, who will have none of it, until he meets Carol. Granted, he’s 6 inches tall, but this doesn’t prevent him from giving it his best shot. It’s about as risqué as you can get in a PG movie, and he nails the delivery.

The supporting cast, in fact, is strong all the way around. Timothy Simons and Danielle Pinnock are good as mismatched TV hosts, although when Simons’ character says he wonders why he hasn’t fired his agent, you wonder if there’s an extra layer of truth in there somewhere.

Murray occasionally shows flashes of his comic genius, but only flashes. It’s impossible to feel sorry for him — presumably, Prime Video backed the money truck up to his mansion to make this. (He also serves as a producer.)

It’s all fine. Murphy is so much more than that. Or used to be. You like to think that, given the right material, he will be again. Now that would be a gift.

Where is 'Candy Cane Lane' streaming?

'Candy Cane Lane' 2.5 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Reginald Hudlin.

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jillian Bell.

Rating: Rated PG for language throughout and some suggestive references.

How to watch: Streaming on Prime Video on Friday, Dec. 1.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X, formerly known as Twitter: @goodyk.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Candy Cane Lane' review: This Eddie Murphy comedy is almost too sweet